The AU Women's Field Hockey team won its second consecutive Patriot League title Sunday, defeating Colgate, 3-0.
The win guarantees the Eagles a spot in the NCAA tournament, which begins next weekend.
Sophomores Camila Infante and Heidi Hershberger each netted a goal for the Eagles, and senior Javiera Villagra put the nail in the coffin with a goal at the 64:28 mark. Sophomore Allison Fayfich stood strong in goal for the Eagles, making saves on all three shots she faced.
The game began well for the Eagles when Infante scored on an unassisted goal just 33 seconds into the contest. Hershberger added her tally on a feed from freshman Denise Infante 10 minutes later.
From there, the Eagles dominated Colgate, allowing just nine total shots, three of them on goal.
Overall, the Eagles outshot Colgate, 19-9, and held a slim 6-5 advantage in penalty corners.
The nationally ranked Eagles' weekend began with a 4-0 drubbing of Lehigh in the semifinal game. Four different players scored for the Eagles, including Villagra and Denise Infante.
Fayfich stopped all nine shots she faced and only had to make four saves. The Eagles dominated every statistical category against Lehigh, outshooting the Mountain Hawks, 17-6, and holding a 6-4 advantage in penalty corners.
With the victory in the PL tournament, the Eagles now move on to the NCAA tournament, where they look to shake off the demons of a year ago. After defeating Quinnipiac in the play-in game in 2003, the team was defeated by No. 2 ranked Duke. This year, however, things are looking brighter.
With a 18-2-0 overall record, including playoff competition, and a No. 7 national ranking, the Eagles will find out who their first-round opponent will be this Tuesday at 7 p.m. The first round of the NCAA tournament will be held Nov. 13-14 at a site to be determined, with the championship rounds taking place Nov. 19-21 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.
